On 17/03/2025 16:43, David Kastrup wrote:
Well nothing ever is, is it ? On-going maintenance is part of the
deal. The problem here is that you want us to take on that task.
That is the point of an API: provide a stable interface to defined
functionality that doesn't need to change along with changes in the
implementation.
And the code in pdf2dsc.ps wasn't using an API, nor is the code in the
'dsc' file.
Both are simply using chunks of the old PDF interpreter, again
undocumented and so surely not part of an API.
The pdf2dsc.ps file was a utility, hence why it was in 'lib'. Not what I
would describe as an 'API'. Code in here doesn't form part of
Ghostscript, but might be usefully used with it.
I removed it because it was misleading, used old deprecated code, and
didn't appear to work.
That separates maintenance of the calling code from maintenance of the
called code and provides dependable spheres of responsibility.
We cannot perform that task for Ghostscript.
Not asking you to, but you want us to maintain a utility which you rely on ?
The talk to Ghostscript is performed in the following functions. I am
quoting them in full right now for showing the logic, but of course the
actual strings sent to Ghostscript are just there in calls to the
`format' function and easily discernible as PostScript sequences with
formatting codes like %s, %d, and %% strewn in.
OK so I don't really grok all this, so I'm going to give up asking.
I'll create a new program which produces a 'dsc' file that works as I
think it should and you can all shout at me afterwards.
Ken
